Improvement in spark-arresters



.l. W. BUEL'.

Spark-Arrester'.

Patented Jan. 26,1875.

UNI-TED STATES PATENT 1 QFFIG JAMES w. BUEL, on sr. Louis,- MIssoUnL.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPARK-ARRESTERS. v l,

Specification formirg part of Letters Patent No. 159,017, datedllannary 26, 1825; application filed September 16, 1874.-

To. all'whom it may-concern.-

. Be it known that I, JAMES W. BU'EL, a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Conducting Smoke and Cinders from Locomotives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being. had to the annexed-drawing,'making part of this specification, in whic I Figure'l shows the invention in position on a train of cars; Fig. 2, alongitudinalsection and'end view of the joint in the conductor;

and Fig. 3, a view showing the manner of con-' necting the conductor with the stack.

- Like letters indicate likeparts.

' The present invention relates to the protection of railway-trains from the smoke and cin- ,ders issuing from. the locomotive. It consists" in the peculiar construction of a device whereby the products, of combustion are conducted from the stack of the locomotive to the rear end of the train before being allowed to escape to the open air, A horizontal flue leading backward from the locomotive and over the cars, and composed of sections of tubingarranged, respectively, above each car, has

previously been used; but the method of uniting the various sections in theconstruction referred to is extremely objectionable. The end at a-forward section fitted loosely in the section in rear of it, leaving an annular space between the two parts-l have found in practice that, by reason of the steam-blast in the flue, the outward pressure therefrom is so great as tocause the smoke to escape freely from the least opening in the tube. When, therefore, the joints are constructed as described, the issue of the products of combustion is so'great as to render the device a'positive injury. To obviate this difficulty, and to provide a suitable construction, is mainly-the object of this invention.

The general. form of the device is acondoctor-pipe leading from the top of the 1000- motive-stack backward over the locomotive, tender, and carsto the end-of the train. The details of its construction appear in the accompanying drawing, in which- A represents a locomotive of ordinary con-' struction, aud M and B B, &c., the usual tenderandcars. i 0 represents the stack, and

Dtl iat part of the conductor above the locomotive. EE, &c.,-represent the sections of the conductor, respectively, above the tender and the several cars composing the train. The

various sections of pipe are, respectively, supported by suitable supports F F, &c., and are arranged opposite each other, so as, when joined together, to forni a continuous tube.

lt'is readily apparent that,in the construction of the joints which occur'in the conductor between the sections, provision must be made for easily and surely coupling and uncoupling them as the cars are brought together or are separated. The joint also must be such as toreadily accommodate itself to the-various movements of the cars withontstrainingany part or opening in the least degree, or'collapsing. To. secure a jointsvhich will answer these requirements is a'principa'l object of this 1n-- vention. Accordingly, each section is, preferably, made somewhat shorter than the car heneath, and is (the section D at its rear end only and the sections E E, 860., at both ends) furnished with an elastic extension, G G, whose general shape conforms'to the remainder of the tube, and which, in length, is sufiicient to'bring its outer end beyond the end of the car -that is, when provided with its elas tic extensions, each section is longer than its supporting-car. Referring to Fig. 2, the particular construction of the joint is seen more distinctly. 0 represents an elastic tube, fastened permanently to the main section E. Its outer end is provided with a flange, I, made of suitable material. To provide for an elastic movement of the extension in a longitudinal' direction,'aud alsoto enablethe extension to preserve its form when turned from a straight line, and when the joint is compressed, the tube '0 has either within it, as shojwnyor inside of it, a spring, P.

I donot desire to be limited to the particular kind of spring shown, but claim any spring in that connectionwhich is suitable for the purposes above set forth. Projecting outward in a flaring manner from the flange I' are guiderods 11 H 11". They are made and arranged so that when any two'vextensions come together'to form a joint their points will'notfl inter- -fere,-but thefrods of one extension will deflectthose of the other. 1 The flange I-is" provided In Fig. 3 is shown the manner of connecting the conductor with the stack of the locomotive. At its forward end the conductor-pipe is curved downward, forming a close connection with the mouth of the stack. In the upper side of the conductor, over the stack, there is an opening, J, which can be closed by a valve, K. This valve is operated by a cord, L, extending to the cab R. The valve and also the conductor are so made and operated as to close the passage backward into the conductor when the opening J is open; and when the opening J is closed the passage into the conductor is open. To lengthen thestack I preferably attach an extension, S, to the top of the conductor. When opening J is closed by the valve K the latter and the immediatelysurroundingsurfaceformacondensing-surface, N, where the exhaust steam from the locomotive is condensed.

In operation, as the train is made up, the flanges of opposing extensions come against each other before the cars are coupled below at T. This causes the extensions to be compressed longitudinally, when the cars are finally coupled. This compression insures a proper joint, because theoutward pressure of extensions when pressed together, or when they are thrown out of a straight line.

Should, for any cause, the flanges of opposing extensions not be exactly opposite each other as the cars come together, the guides H H H will insure a proper meeting. As the joint is formed by compression, it is broken as soon as the compression is relieved, and this is done by separating the cars.

It is sometimes desirable, as when the train is backing, or when the locomotive is standing just outside the depot, to have the products of combustion pass directly to the open air. The valve K is then movedto open the opening J. When the train is in motion, and the exhaust blast is passing oil, the steam strikes against the condensing-surface N condensing it sufficiently to thoroughly extinguish the sparks, so that nothing in a state of combustion escapes from the conductor, thus providing a protection from fire. V

If desired, the supports F F, &c., can be made somewhat elastic, to enable the joints to be "1016 readily formed and preserved.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the locomotive A, tender M, stack 0, sections D E, provided with the extensions G G, consisting of the ,tube 0, spring 1?, and flange I, provided with an elastic facing and supports, F F, substantially as described and shown.

2. The combination of the locomotive A,

tender M, stack 0, sections D E, provided a with the extensions G G, consisting of the.

tube 0, spring 1?, and flange I, provided with an elastic facing, guides H H H, and supports F F, substantially as described and shown.

JAMES W. BUEL.

I Witnesses:

THOS'WL BRAWNER, CHAS. A. MOON. 

